Large Marijuana Grow Eradicated in Los Padres National Forest

New Cuyama - April 20th, 2009

On Friday, 04-17-09, at approximately 11:30 a.m., two adults, who had been camping in the Aliso Park area west of New Cuyama, came across an active marijuana garden.  While in the area, the campers were approached by two Hispanic male adult subjects who were tending to the marijuana garden. 

The subjects attempted to converse with the campers, however due to a language barrier, they were unsuccessful.  The subjects requested that the campers remain in the area, until the arrival of the “boss” who spoke English.  The campers became fearful and packed up their gear and left the area.  While the campers were driving down the dirt road, they were approached by a pick up truck traveling the opposite direction.  As they passed the truck, they noticed the occupants seemed very interested in them.  The truck stopped and the driver exited and waived for the campers to come back.  They ignored his request and kept driving, believing he was the “boss” that the two subjects had referred to earlier.  The driver returned to his truck and began chasing the campers down the mountain.  During the chase, the truck came dangerously close to the campers’ vehicle several times.

Once the campers reached the paved road, they were able to distance themselves from the truck and contact law enforcement.  A Santa Barbara County Deputy Sheriff obtained the information from the campers and quickly disseminated it to local agencies.  A short time later, a Taft Police Officer spotted a truck, matching the description provided by the campers.  A traffic stop was conducted and as a result Javier Barragan (DOB 1/31/69) and Jose Lopez (DOB 5/3/71) were contacted.  Both subjects were positively identified by the campers, as the persons who chased them down the mountains.  The two were taken into custody and a search of the vehicle was conducted.  During the search, five high powered rifles, equipped with rifle scopes and numerous rounds of ammunition were found.

United States Forest Service and Santa Barbara County Sheriff personnel responded to the marijuana garden to eradicate the plants.  Once there, a large scale marijuana garden was found containing 13,300 growing marijuana plants.  The estimated street value of the plants is approximately $26,600,000.

Barragan and Lopez were booked into the Santa Maria Jail for marijuana cultivation.  Pending further investigation, false imprisonment and/or weapons charges may be added.  Their bail is set at $50,000 each.  Barragan resides in Maywood, Ca. and Lopez from Paramount, Ca.

The Sheriff’s Department and US Forest Service cautions hikers, campers and hunters that marijuana growing season is upon us.  Most outside gardens are located in remote areas of the National Forest and are tended by Mexican Nationals who are usually armed. Do not attempt to make contact with them. Any suspicious activity should be reported to the Sheriff’s Department or the US Forest Service.

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